“I wouldn’t be surprised to see the Eagles try to make a deal in which they package one of their linemen for some help at linebacker.” – Ant, March 23, 2007
The Eagles took advantage of Bernie Lomax, or whoever is calling the shots in the Bills front office, acquiring pro-bowl linebacker Takeo Spikes and back-up quarterback Kelly Holcomb from Buffalo in exchange for defensive tackle Darwin Walker and a conditional late-round draft pick in 2008.
In case you couldn’t tell, I think this is an outstanding deal for the Birds. Spikes is an immediate upgrade at the strong side linebacker spot that has been occupied by Dhani Jones for the last two years. Now, with Jeremiah Trotter in the middle flanked by Spikes and Omar Gaither (who played so well on the weak side last year), the LB corps looks like a strength instead of a glaring area of concern.
Position by position, here’s how the Eagles depth chart should look in 2007:
DE - Jevon Kearse (Trent Cole)
DT - Mike Patterson (Monte Reagor)
DT - Brodrick Bunkley (Sam Rayburn)
DE - Darren Howard (Juqua Thomas)
LB - Omar Gaither (Matt McCoy)
LB - Jeremiah Trotter
LB - Takeo Spikes (Dhani Jones/Chris Gocong)
CB - Sheldon Brown (William James)
S - Brian Dawkins
S - Sean Considine (Quentin Mikell)
CB - Lito Sheppard (Joselio Hanson)
Bottom line is, that’s not a bad looking defense on paper. It allows the Eagles to draft for depth in the secondary and at linebacker instead of needing an impact guy right off the bat. It also means they could look at the offensive side of the ball if the right guy was available.
Holcomb, meanwhile, is a smart quarterback with sub-par arm strength who will be content to hold the clipboard as the third-string guy. In other words, he’s Koy Detmer. He, too, gives the Eagles much-needed depth at quarterback, and extra insurance in the event that “5” is not 100% when the season starts. This is an excellent, purposeful deal executed by the Eagles brain trust.
As for the Bills, I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, who knows what the hell they are doing. Spikes follows Willis McGahee, Nate Clements, and London Fletcher-Baker out of Buffalo on what appears to be a one way street.
Tuesday, March 27, 2007
Friday, March 23, 2007
Stump the Schaub
This is why I don’t do a mock draft in January.
The big NFL news of the week was the Houston Texans acquisition of Atlanta Falcons backup quarterback Matt Schaub for a couple of second-round draft picks, one in 2007 and one in 2008. The teams also agreed to swap first round picks this year, with Atlanta moving up to #8 and Houston back to #10. Following the trade, the Texans inked Schaub to a six-year, $48 million contract and said they would attempt to trade incumbent starter and former first overall pick David Carr.
If I’m a Falcons fan, I’m doing back flips over this deal. Schaub was scheduled to be an unrestricted free agent at the end of 2007, and as Atlanta has about a billion dollars tied up in Ron Mexico, Schaub would have bolted to become a starter someplace else. Plus, look at his numbers. It’s not like he’s Joe Montana or anything. Now the Falcons have three of the top 44 picks in this year’s draft, which is considered to be a deep one by many accounts. Atlanta needs help along both lines, and could stay in the eight hole and hope for either Clemson’s Gaines Adams or Arkansas’ Jamaal Anderson. On the flip side, one rumor has them trying to trade up and steal hometown hero Calvin Johnson out of Georgia Tech. If they can pull that off, there may be a bronze statue of Arthur Blank outside of the Georgia Dome by opening day.
As for the Texans, the move signals an admission of failure. Prior to the ’06 draft, then-GM Charley Casserly tried to convince anyone who would listen that they didn’t need Vince Young or Reggie Bush because they already had Carr and Domanick Davis, and that Mario Williams was the next Reggie White…
Oops.
So far this off-season, the Texans have thrown big free agent dollars at Packers cast-off Ahman Green and made the Schaub deal. Problem is, they still haven’t addressed their biggest problem – the offensive line. I don’t care who your quarterback and running back are. If your line can’t run block or pass block, your skill players don’t stand a chance. If Houston drafts anything but O-linemen in April, their fans should engage in mass mutiny. It’s hard to believe Casserly is still unemployed.
Carr, meanwhile, will land on his feet (or on his back) somewhere. Miami, Minnesota, and Oakland are all possibilities, with the Vikings maybe being the most desirable. The Raiders will likely take JaMarcus Russell with the first pick, and Miami has shown interest in Kansas City’s Trent Green. Minnesota’s line is not bad, and Carr would only have to beat out Tavaris Jackson and Brooks Bollinger to win the starting job (which he might actually be able to do from his back).
Most of the feedback I’ve gotten on the blog this week has been positive, especially the use of the Reche Caldwell picture. I aim to please, so here you go.
New York native and Bills fan Jen in Cary, NC pointed out that in my previous post, I made mention
of the Bills and their inane trade of Willis McGahee with intentions of discussing in more detail, but never came back around to it. My bad. Here it is in a nutshell.
Is Marv Levy asleep at the wheel like Tony LaRussa?
The Bills were 7-9 last season and in the AFC wild card picture late into the year, which is impressive considering the depth of the AFC. So they follow that up by trading McGahee (arguably their most important offensive player) and letting pro-bowl corner Nate Clements (easily their best defensive player) walk as a free agent? How does that make sense? Do they really have that much faith in J.P. Losman? I’m curious to see what the Bills do in the draft.
The Eagles were active again this week, adding defensive tackle Monte Reagor to hopefully provide an inside pass-rushing presence. The move leaves Philly with a multitude of D-tackles, including former first-round picks Mike Patterson and Brodrick Bunkley. I wouldn’t be surprised to see the Eagles try to make a deal in which they package one of their linemen for some help at linebacker. Denver is actively shopping middle backer Al Wilson, but the middle is the one spot where the Birds are strong. I don’t see Jeremiah Trotter shifting to the strong side, nor do I see Wilson changing positions.
Still, a deal of some sort could be in the works. And now that Andy Reid is back to work, he’ll be involved. It’s good to have "Big Red" back in the nest, and with any luck his family situation is stabilized and he can focus on keeping the Eagles atop the NFC East.
So, I had intentions of laying low until the mock draft, but the Schaub trade warranted a comment or two, since it had an impact on my projections. It’s in the works. Stay tuned.
The big NFL news of the week was the Houston Texans acquisition of Atlanta Falcons backup quarterback Matt Schaub for a couple of second-round draft picks, one in 2007 and one in 2008. The teams also agreed to swap first round picks this year, with Atlanta moving up to #8 and Houston back to #10. Following the trade, the Texans inked Schaub to a six-year, $48 million contract and said they would attempt to trade incumbent starter and former first overall pick David Carr.
If I’m a Falcons fan, I’m doing back flips over this deal. Schaub was scheduled to be an unrestricted free agent at the end of 2007, and as Atlanta has about a billion dollars tied up in Ron Mexico, Schaub would have bolted to become a starter someplace else. Plus, look at his numbers. It’s not like he’s Joe Montana or anything. Now the Falcons have three of the top 44 picks in this year’s draft, which is considered to be a deep one by many accounts. Atlanta needs help along both lines, and could stay in the eight hole and hope for either Clemson’s Gaines Adams or Arkansas’ Jamaal Anderson. On the flip side, one rumor has them trying to trade up and steal hometown hero Calvin Johnson out of Georgia Tech. If they can pull that off, there may be a bronze statue of Arthur Blank outside of the Georgia Dome by opening day.
As for the Texans, the move signals an admission of failure. Prior to the ’06 draft, then-GM Charley Casserly tried to convince anyone who would listen that they didn’t need Vince Young or Reggie Bush because they already had Carr and Domanick Davis, and that Mario Williams was the next Reggie White…
Oops.
So far this off-season, the Texans have thrown big free agent dollars at Packers cast-off Ahman Green and made the Schaub deal. Problem is, they still haven’t addressed their biggest problem – the offensive line. I don’t care who your quarterback and running back are. If your line can’t run block or pass block, your skill players don’t stand a chance. If Houston drafts anything but O-linemen in April, their fans should engage in mass mutiny. It’s hard to believe Casserly is still unemployed.
Carr, meanwhile, will land on his feet (or on his back) somewhere. Miami, Minnesota, and Oakland are all possibilities, with the Vikings maybe being the most desirable. The Raiders will likely take JaMarcus Russell with the first pick, and Miami has shown interest in Kansas City’s Trent Green. Minnesota’s line is not bad, and Carr would only have to beat out Tavaris Jackson and Brooks Bollinger to win the starting job (which he might actually be able to do from his back).
Most of the feedback I’ve gotten on the blog this week has been positive, especially the use of the Reche Caldwell picture. I aim to please, so here you go.
New York native and Bills fan Jen in Cary, NC pointed out that in my previous post, I made mention
of the Bills and their inane trade of Willis McGahee with intentions of discussing in more detail, but never came back around to it. My bad. Here it is in a nutshell.
Is Marv Levy asleep at the wheel like Tony LaRussa?
The Bills were 7-9 last season and in the AFC wild card picture late into the year, which is impressive considering the depth of the AFC. So they follow that up by trading McGahee (arguably their most important offensive player) and letting pro-bowl corner Nate Clements (easily their best defensive player) walk as a free agent? How does that make sense? Do they really have that much faith in J.P. Losman? I’m curious to see what the Bills do in the draft.
The Eagles were active again this week, adding defensive tackle Monte Reagor to hopefully provide an inside pass-rushing presence. The move leaves Philly with a multitude of D-tackles, including former first-round picks Mike Patterson and Brodrick Bunkley. I wouldn’t be surprised to see the Eagles try to make a deal in which they package one of their linemen for some help at linebacker. Denver is actively shopping middle backer Al Wilson, but the middle is the one spot where the Birds are strong. I don’t see Jeremiah Trotter shifting to the strong side, nor do I see Wilson changing positions.
Still, a deal of some sort could be in the works. And now that Andy Reid is back to work, he’ll be involved. It’s good to have "Big Red" back in the nest, and with any luck his family situation is stabilized and he can focus on keeping the Eagles atop the NFC East.
So, I had intentions of laying low until the mock draft, but the Schaub trade warranted a comment or two, since it had an impact on my projections. It’s in the works. Stay tuned.
Thursday, March 15, 2007
The Abyss that is the NFL Off-season
What an off-season it has been so far. Since the Colts knocked off the Bears in Super Bowl XLI, we've seen big-name coaches resign, no-name coaches get hired, players get arrested for a variety of charges, and a team other than the Redskins signing every free agent in sight. Here's a quick recap.
Coaching Changes
The coaching carousel appears to have finally stopped. When it did, future Hall-of-Famers Bill Parcells and Bill Cowher were standing off to the side, while NFL re-treads Wade Phillips and Norv Turner were back on. In all, there were seven coaching changes to speak of.
Arizona: Out - Dennis Green; In - Ken Whisenhunt
Atlanta: Out - Jim Mora, Jr.; In - Bobby Petrino
Dallas: Out - Parcells; In - Phillips
Miami: Out - Nick Saban; In - Cam Cameron
Oakland: Out - Art Shell; In - Lane Kiffin
Pittsburgh: Out - Cowher; In - Omar Epps (actually, it's Mike Tomlin, but have you seen him?)
San Diego: Out - Marty Schottenheimer; In - Turner
Believe it or not, there have been a couple of legitimate trades so far this off-season. The Bills, for reasons unbeknowst to anyone, traded Willis McGahee to Baltimore for a gaggle of draft picks (more on Buffalo in a minute). Denver, looking for a corner to replace the deceased Darrent Williams, acquired Dre' Bly from Detroit for Tatum Bell and George Foster. Bly may be on the move again, as he has said repeatedly that he wants to play in Washington. The Bucs made the strangest trade, sending a draft pick to the Broncos for Jake Plummer within hours of signing free agent Jeff Garcia. Plummer immediately announced his retirement after the trade.
New England Owner Bob Kraft, doing his best Dan Snyder impersonation, has signed anyone and everyone he has desired. He grabbed LB Adalius Thomas from Baltimore, WR's Wes Welker from Miami, Kelley Washington from Cincinnati, and Donte' Stallworth from Philadelphia, and RB Sammy Morris from the Dolphins. Current Patriots receiver Reche Caldwell was extremely surprised by the spending spree...
Other big dollars were bestowed upon OT Leonard Davis (seven years, $49 million from Dallas) and Joey Porter ($20 million guaranteed from Miami), among others.Until yesterday (the Eagles signed WR Kevin Curtis to a multi-year deal), it was a pretty quiet free agency period for the Eagles. They did re-sign a couple of essential players (DT Juqua Thomas, S Quentin Mikell, QB A.J. Feeley), but most of the news in Philly was about the guys who left, including S Micahel Lewis, CB Rod Hood, Stallworth, and especially Garcia.
Before you chastise the Eagles for letting Garcia walk, don't forget that the initial groundswell in Philadelphia was for A.J. Feeley to step in for Donovan McNabb, and that is was more Brian Westbrook and not as much Garcia that was the catalyst for their late-season playoff push. I'm not saying Garcia was invaluable, but he wants to be a starter and wanted starter money, and the Eagles were not in a financial or depth position to make that happen. Personally, I'm still of the opinion that if the Eagles have to open 2007 with Feeley under center, they'll be just fine. That is, as long as #36 is behind him.
The Combine and Ensuing Draft
By all accounts, this year's draft class is loaded. It features two franchise-type quarterbacks (JaMarcus Russell, LSU and Brady Quinn, Notre Dame), a can't-miss running back (Adrian Peterson, Oklahoma), game-breaking wide receivers (Calvin Johnson, Gerogia Tech; Dwayne Jarrett, USC; Dwayne Bowe, LSU; Sidney Rice, South Carolina), a stud tackle (Joe Thomas, Wisconsin) and multiple pass-rushing defensive ends (Gaines Adams, Clemson). I have not finished my mock draft, but will do so prior to the Annual Selection Meeting.
Yours Truly
So how have I been keeping myself busy during this long, mild winter? Other than the essentials (being a husband and father, collecting a paycheck, playing hockey and golf), I've added a few new hobbies. My brother and sister-in-law to-be turned me on to Sudoku puzzles, which are more addicting than a Starbucks Venti Vanilla Latte. I picked up a book, started with the "Easy" puzzles, and am currently solving the "Very Hard" puzzles with regularity. I also found out that USA Today posts their puzzles daily to be completed on-line, which was great until Big Brother turned on the office's web site filter. Damn you, corporate watchdogs.
Anyway, I have rediscovered things like on-line poker and working out. I also jumped in a fantasy baseball league, which is free and will force me to pay attention to a May game between the Devil Rays and Royals. I'm actually pretty jacked up about the Phillies this year and think they are, as Jimmy Rollins has implied, the team to beat in the NL East. Screw the Mets. That's right, I said it!
In case you haven't noticed, I also re-designed this blog, mostly from a cosmetic perspective. What do you think? Direct any and all feedback to nfl_ant@hotmail.com.
Basically, I've just counting the days until football season starts again. The next milestone, in my mind, is the draft. I'll admit, I'm an NFL draft junkie and will actually sit and watch both days. But until then, I'll just keep on keeping on.
Before I get out of here, I have a bone to pick with the Worldwide Leader in Sports. I know there are many, like this guy, who can't get enough NFL. But there's got to be a better way for ESPN to keep football on the public's radar than doing predictions for next season before free agency, the draft, and training camps which always seem to feature injuries. Shouldn't you at least wait to see who is on a team before casting aspersions about their 2007 success or failure? Just my opinion.
Until the mock draft...
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